


Sutherland Academy

by Lithium012



Category: VIXX
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Alternate Universe - High School, Angst and Romance, Drama, M/M, Mutant Powers, Teen Romance, inspired by gakuen alice, pls forgive me for some of the characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-08
Updated: 2018-09-01
Packaged: 2019-06-07 00:44:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15207083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lithium012/pseuds/Lithium012
Summary: Sanghyuk, a young 14-year-old, has decided to follow his older brother’s footsteps – Hakyeon – in going to the all exclusive Sutherland academy. Unbeknownst to him, he stumbles upon a chaotic state and is instantly dragged along for the ride.





	1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

* * *

 

Taekwoon slumps down on the grass, coughing and gulping in as much air as he could. His lungs burn from all the smoke; the perks of having a fire Alice. He scowls, looking at the building that’s currently in flames. Up above, he hears an eagle scream and another boy crashing down next to him. The new boy rolls a little bit before slamming into Taekwoon’s side, which causes him to fall over with a sharp grunt.

The intruder, a boy with light brown hair and a prominent nose, looks up and shakes some of his hair out of his face.

“Jaehwan,” Taekwoon says, softly. “Why are you here?”

“I came to get you, hyung,” Jaehwan says, sitting up. Pieces of grass stick to his hair. “Hakyeon-hyung is worried about you.” Taekwoon makes a soft “ah”, nodding while holding onto Hakyeon’s Alice stone. He can feel his power weaken, the sharp want and desire of burning down everything disappearing. But a violent cough fills its spot, begging to ripped from deep inside his lungs. The 17-year-old looks out at the carnage and covering his mouth with his hands. The destruction he’s done and will continue to do, before he gets up and shakes some ash from the top of his head.

“Let’s go,” he says. “He wasn’t in there.”

Jaehwan pulls out a whistle from inside his shirt, blowing in it gently. He flashes Taekwoon a big smile as the two walks towards the large griffin like eagle that’s idly circling above the two. “Where do think they hid him?” Jaehwan asks. He doesn’t notice Taekwoon visibly stiffening, feeling and looking sick.

“For Wonshik’s sake…” he says after a long silence. “It’s better if he didn’t know.”

 

* * *

 

**_Facts about Sutherland Academy_ **

  * **_Each student will fit a category depending on temperament and Alice usage. Abuse of Alices will result in a warning. If the abuse continues, then being demoted into the Dangerous Ability Class._**
  * **_This is your only warning. Do not make us go that far._**



* * *

 

A/N: The author does not regret doing such a project, nor creating the characters the way she did. Nothing is owned by the author except maybe the writing… even so, none of the characters nor the plot is hers.


	2. One

**One**

* * *

 

Sanghyuk looks up at a large menacing building, completely gated with a massive fence that he’s sure no body could climb out of. Behind it, he sees a large Gothic Victorian style building, with sharp roofs and even sharper decorations. Swallowing, he looks down at his cellphone again and then back up at the gold plaque stamped outside of the school. **_Sutherland Academy, the school for people with Alices_.** His step-brother, Hakyeon, is behind these walls and Sanghyuk is hell bent on seeing his brother again.  

He could barely remember what his brother looked like, the older teen has been gone from the household since Sanghyuk was 3 years old. Now 14, he’s been dying to see what his brother looks like now. All he knows is that his brother goes to this exclusive “Sutherland Academy” (which, if Sanghyuk is being perfectly honest, is sure a strange name for a school that’s supposed to be situated in Seoul, South Korea. But to each there own he guess) an academy meant for students with special powers. Sanghyuk couldn’t remember how his brother got into the school or what his special power was – or even if there is such a thing but, the rumors about this school seems true.

Once you go in, you will never come out.

He takes one last look at the outside world and questions if he should return home. It’s almost nightfall here and in Daejeon. His parents must be worried sick about him disappearing all of a sudden. But, the letter in his hands, the one from Hakyeon himself, proves to be a much greater reason to stay.

Tucking it into his back pocket, Sanghyuk hikes his backpack up a little higher (he wishes he brought more clothes, but beggars couldn’t be weighted down with unnecessary things at moments like this) before grabbing one of the large metal bars. His little impromptu plan already forming in his head. He’ll climb in and figure out where Hakyeon is staying, checking to see if he’s okay. Once he’s sure of that, ask about graduation and then GTFO. Yes, this is a great plan.  

“My, my,” someone says and Sanghyuk instantly removes his hands from the gate. Rats foiled instantly by some weirdo who still says “My, my”. He looks over, seeing a man who looks eerily like his brother, except… an adult and not a moody 6-year-old boy. “What do we have here?” The man hops down from where he was, in a tree high above the school.

“What are you doing?” he asks.

The naïve boy looks at him with striking confidence. “I’m here to see my brother, Cha Hakyeon.” His parents did teach him that honesty is the best route to go and who doesn’t like an honest young guy like himself?

“You know it’s against school policy to let non-Alices within the school grounds, right?” Apparently, this guy doesn’t like the ever so honest Sanghyuk.  

Sanghyuk nods. “I know, but… My brother’s in danger. I have to help him.”

Hakyeon 2.0 chuckles a bit, and Sanghyuk gets a shudder through his body as the mysterious man walks closer. He stops when something ripples through the air, like a sharp disturbance. Another shudder goes through his body, causing Sanghyuk gently shove Hakyeon 2.0 aside and move forward. He pauses to look up at the tree, debating whether or not to climb upwards and inside. Hakyeon 2.0 looks up at the sky and chuckles. Behind him, he heard the man groan mid-chuckle.  

Sanghyuk walks over to Hakyeon 2.0; his ears on high alert. He knows the sounds of pain all too well. He looks down, blinking a bit. “Are… are you okay?” The mysterious man holds onto his knee and Sanghyuk worries that he injured the poor man. Turns out it isn’t the case, as Mr. Seo In Guk – the man’s real name – tells him, instead, his leg has been cramping up painfully lately no amount of pain killers could stop the searing pain that rips through his leg. Sanghyuk sits on the curb with Mr. Seo In Guk and listens to the crushing disappointment of him being not able to get into the school simply because he doesn’t have an Alice. He sighs, knowing that this was a long shot anyways.

Touching the injured leg as a gentle good-bye, he feels his miracle surging through. Sanghyuk gets up. “Sorry for hurting your leg even more,” he says, looking apologetic. “I didn’t mean to.” With a small smile, he begins to head towards the Seoul train station. Only to have Mr. Seo In Guk shout for him back.

“Are you letting me into the school?” Sanghyuk asks, running back and nearly tripping over his unnaturally long legs.

“Say…” Mr. Seo In Guk says. “Do you have an Alice…?” Sanghyuk shakes his head, only thinking of his special miracle of bringing things back from the brink of death. In his neighbourhood he has been known to be the boy of miracles. Could his miracle be an Alice instead and his parents just never told him? Sanghyuk doesn’t see any logical reason for his parents to lie.

Mr. Seo In Guk looks at the young boy in curiosity and amusement. _It seems that Hakyeon is correct_ , the teacher thinks. Mr. Seo In Guk smiles kindly at Sanghyuk, pulling his key out from his pocket. “Come with me, we have some paperwork for you to fill out before you’re officially admitted.”

“Ah…” Sanghyuk says, rubbing the back of his head. “I think you’re mistaken… I don’t want to be—”

From behind a large explosion comes out from inside the school walls, one that blows both people from where they’re standing. Sanghyuk nearly dies on a piece of falling concrete, luckily avoiding it in the nick of time. Mr. Seo In Guk isn’t so lucky, getting a piece of concrete on the leg that Sanghyuk just healed. _Goddammit_ , Sanghyuk thinks, scrambling up.

In front of them, he sees a boy with a rather friendly face, with dark hair parted nearly in the middle. A large smile is played on the boy’s face as he whoops and shouts in glee. Sanghyuk touches Mr. Seo In Guk’s leg a surge of miracle leaving his finger tips as he feels the wound close and disappear all together.

“Mr. Kim,” Mr. Seo In Guk says, getting up and looking unfazed at the whooping boy who seems to have electricity coming from his hands. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“I refuse to be created as weapon for your pleasures!” the new person says, still smiling widely. If Sanghyuk doesn’t know any better, he would have thought the boy is high on something. But this is Korea and if they wanted drugs, they probably wouldn’t take it at a school that looks like it houses prisoners instead of students. “If you value your life kid,” the boy says, looking directly at Sanghyuk. “You’ll run! Run an—”

Around him, the air changes yet again. It’s heavy, lustful in a way. Sanghyuk swallows, taking a step back from a now enraged Mr. Seo In Guk. The boy in front teeters, looking at them with glazed eyes. A spark of electricity shoots from his hand and it rips through the sidewalk, nearly killing a couple of pedestrians that were out on a lovely evening stroll.

“Are you done?” Mr. Seo In Guk asks. The boy doesn’t reply, falling over unceremoniously into the grass, his butt up in the air. “I think he’s done now.”

“I-Is he alive?” Mr. Seo In Guk nods, picking him up effortlessly. He motions for Sanghyuk to follow and for the fear of his body going as limp as the boy in his arms right now, Sanghyuk follows.

When he looks back at the hole, it’s gone. As if the school has a mind of its own.

 

* * *

 

**_The Student Handbook Guide:_ **

  1. **_Students are not to use their Alices for injury and harm towards other students or faculty member. Nor will students use their Alices for escape. Doing so will result in punishment* and additional chores. Please follow the guide for a safe and healthy environment._**



**_Remember, each one of you is special and dear to our hearts._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well I'm glad people like it. So, thank you all!


	3. Two

**Two**

* * *

 

For a school that looks dashingly lavish on the outside, the interior is a bit dull in comparison. The front office is a typical office, beige in colour with an uncomfortable sofa. The boy – who Sanghyuk now knows as Kim Jongdae with the power of electricity – is being carted off to the school nurse to recover from Mr. Seo In Guk’s odd powers that Sanghyuk really doesn’t want to know about.

He sits in the waiting room on the velvet couch with his legs pulled up to his chest and his backpack slumping down next to him. He runs his hands through his hair, feeling slightly stupid for getting involved in this situation. _Seriously,_ he thinks. _All I wanted to do is see if Hakyeon’s okay and ask if he’ll come to my graduation ceremony…_ Sighing, he plays with some loose thread on his coat. He’s thankful for bringing one, the autumn air is a bitch and Sanghyuk really doesn’t want to get a cold anytime soon.

His stomach growls and he dig into his bag, looking for the emergency bread he packed after school. Moments like this is when he’s happy he conveniently forgets to eat his lunch. Pulling out a small pork bun, he digs in, chewing thoughtfully. As he chews, he doesn’t notice the unnaturally large eagle with a boy coming his way. The boy crashes through the window, rolling over the glass and letting out a small howl in pain.

“Why did I think this was a good idea!?” the boy shouts, brushing off some of the glass from his school uniform. Sanghyuk looks over in horror, still chewing his pork bun as the boy painfully picks glass out of his arms. The boy in question has a large prominent nose and large, soft, plump lips. Sanghyuk briefly wonders what it’d be like to touch them but shakes that thought out his head when the boy walks over. His light brown hair falls over his face as his lips stretch out into a grin.

“Hi!” he says, holding out his hand. “Lee Jaehwan. Aries. 181 cm. 65 kg. Blood type AB. Nice to meet you!” Sanghyuk stares, still chewing on his pork bun. He reaches his hand out and touches Lee Jaehwan. He makes a little noise of pleasure, doing a jittery dance and Sanghyuk watches his glass wounds heal back into smooth, pale skin.

“Han Sanghyuk…” he mutters, mouth still full. He swallows. “Nice to meet you Jaehwan-hyung.”

Jaehwan’s eyes go wide. “Are you… Hakyeon-hyung’s little bro?” Sanghyuk nods, a little weirded out. “Hakyeon-hyung talks about you all the time! He’s like ‘My bro—’”

“Mr. Lee,” Mr. Seo In Guk says, walking in. Jaehwan lets go of Sanghyuk’s hand, stepping back. Sanghyuk looks over at the window, another thing fixed within seconds. Is this school run by invisible gnomes that he should be aware of? He looks down at the floor, looking for the gnomes. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Uh…” Jaehwan says. “Making nice with the new student?” He flashes a sheepish grin, patting his arms down. “I promise! I haven’t done anything weird to him! I mean… My Alice only works on animals and—”

“Can I leave?” Sanghyuk asks, standing up. “I just wanted to see if my brother is okay.”

“You can’t,” Mr. Seo In Guk states. “You’re an Alice user.”

“No, I’m not…” Sanghyuk doesn’t believe him. If he _was_ an Alice user, then wouldn’t the government have already found him? That’s how his brother got found, despite having the Alice of Nullification – a rare Alice on its own. “I can’t be an Alice user.”

“But you just healed me,” Jaehwan pipes up. “And you healed me by just _touching_ me! No normal human can do that.”

“Isn’t that just a miracle?”

Mr. Seo In Guk looks bemused, crossing his arms. “You _are_ an Alice user. A rare Alice too.” He walks closer to Sanghyuk, kneeling in front of him. “You have the Alice of Healing, there’s only one other person who has that power.” Sanghyuk wonders who that other person is, but he shakes it off. He grabs his backpack, planning to make his escape.

That is till the office door opens yet again and a tanned boy walks in. Sanghyuk looks at the new character walking in, his black hair is covering his forehead and for some reason his face looks eerily familiar. _Where have I seen him before?_ The boy’s eyes light up at the sight of the young 14-year-old. He launches himself and engulfs the young boy in a massive bear hug.

“Hyukkie!!” he squeals, landing a disgusting kiss on Sanghyuk’s cheek. He wipes his cheek violent and scowls at the boy clinging onto his neck. “What are you doing here?”

“Hyung,” Sanghyuk mutters. “I was looking for you.”

“Hakyeon,” Mr. Seo In Guk says, standing up from the table. “Did you know your brother is an Alice user?” Hakyeon blinks once, then twice before rigidly looking at his younger brother. His innocent and supposedly human brother is an Alice user like he is.

Hakyeon’s mind must have stopped functioning as he stares at Sanghyuk, jaw slack.

“Close your mouth Hyung,” Sanghyuk says and Hakyeon snaps his mouth shut. He couldn’t help it, Sanghyuk has a bad habit of sassing people. That’s gotten him into so much trouble at school. He grimaces at the sheer amount of detentions he has under his belt now. Jaehwan looks at the two, then over at Hakyeon.

“Hakyeon-hyung,” he says. “Are you _sure_ you guys are brothers?”

“We’re step-brothers,” Hakyeon explains. “My mom married his dad. Which, by the way, Hyukkie how did you even get here?”

Sanghyuk pulls the letter from his back pocket, shoving it into his brother’s hands. “I just wanted to see if you… you know, you’re okay. I should get going…” He zips up his coat and hoists his backpack up higher on his shoulder. Mr. Seo In Guk grabs onto Sanghyuk’s coat hood, holding him there.

The air gets thick again, and Sanghyuk is feeling shaking. His vision blurs as his feet teeters dangerously. But before he could fully pass out from what seems to be lust, the air returns to the clarity that he likes. Hakyeon holds onto his brother, gripping Sanghyuk’s arm rather tightly. His eyes narrow and delirious brunette could barely hear what his brother is saying.

He feels his body being shifted and he lands against a sturdy male body. A loud voice cut through Sanghyuk’s thoughts. “Should I take him to the dorms?” He couldn’t hear the response, instead his vision fades into darkness.

~***~

Underneath his finger tips he feels a cotton bed sheet, as he lifts his eyelids he sees an unusually large stuffed animal in his face.

“Is the boy awake?” the stuffed animal asks. Sanghyuk’s eyes widen and sits up too quickly. All the blood rushes to his head and he feels his body teeters. “Oh!” The childish voice of the stuffed animal scares Sanghyuk again. _It isn’t a dream. A stuffed animal is really talking to me._ He slaps himself to really make sure he isn’t crazy.

“Hey, hey!” Jaehwan says, rushing over from where he was. “Don’t do that! You’re still recovering!”

“There is a talking stuffed animal and I’m not okay with this at all!” he shouts, staring in horror as the stuffed animal moves around and walks over to another bed, with a sleeping boy in it.

Once the stuffed toy touches the sleeping boy, he jerks up and the toy falls limp on the floor. The boy in question has a round face with a floppy medium brown fringe that falls right into his eyes. He looks at Sanghyuk with an exaggerated horrified look. “How dare you!?” he screams out, leaping out of his bed and face planting onto the floor.

“Sandeul!!” Jaehwan shouts out, picking up his roommate off of the floor. “Don’t do that!”

“He insulted my very being!” Sandeul shouts back, getting up and falling over again.

Jaehwan gives Sanghyuk a sheepish look while trying to get his friend off of the floor in a very loud and noisy way. Sanghyuk wishes he was still unconscious.

“Sorry,” Jaehwan says after getting his friend situated onto the bed properly. “Sandeul here has a possession Alice, but his soul can only possess stuffed animals.”

That explains why this room – if Sanghyuk could call it a room – looks like a toy store for little girls. All around him are different sized stuffed animals, and honestly all of them are kind of creepy. It’s creepy having things stare at you with unwavering eyes.

“Why am I here…?” Sanghyuk asks, looking around. “I only remember feeling super light-headed and then… and then I passed out.”

“Oh, Mr. Seo used his Alice on you and… yeah. But hey, you’re now a student here.”

Sanghyuk blinks. “I beg your pardon?”

“You’re a student of Sutherland Academy,” Jaehwan smiles. “We’re all so glad to have you here!”

 

* * *

 

**_Student Profile:_ **

**_Name: Cha Hakyeon (_ ** **_차학연_ ** **_)_ **

**_Age: 17/18_ **

**_Gender: Male_ **

**_Alice: Nullification (ability to halt/nullify any other Alice)_ **

**_Classification: Unique (rare Alice)_ **

**_Special notes:_ **

  * **_Able to make Alice stones at a very young age; must be aware of the great power this child harbours_**
  * **_Close to fellow student Jung Taekwoon, keep them away at all cost._**
  * **_Found when he nullified some special agents’ powers_**
  * **_Is the replacement student for his step-brot… the page is smudged with black ink; making the words difficult to read._**



**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what are these student profiles at the end of every chapter...? Well, they're for your entertainment to see how the school sees each important character. Student profiles are for characters that are important to the story! Hooray! Plus, it's meant for the mystery involved.
> 
> And oh look a double update cause this author doesn't know how to use AO3


	4. Three

**Three**

* * *

 

In a dark, musty basement, a maid with the Alice of illusions, walks through carrying a tray with a small bowl on it. Her heels click as she makes her way through the eerie basement. She can hear rats skittering around as she makes her way to the very back of the basement. There a small room with a metal door and a small mail slot. She slips the tray through and as she turns to leave, a hand shoots out the small bars at the bottom of the door and grabs her by the ankle. She lets out a scream, tripping over her feet. The hand lets go and the maid slips away, running down the hall.

A small blank eye watches her run while they play with a small blue stone.

“Come back,” they say. “Let’s play.”

~***~

The next moments in Sanghyuk’s young life becomes an insane blur. He is thrown into the school without knowing what’s happening and without saying goodbye. First, he was in the creepy room with all those stuffed animals, then he was in another room filling in paperwork, and now he’s in yet _another_ room – a dorm room this time. This room, unlike Jaehwan’s room, is bare. Well one side is completely bare, the other side is completely covered in books and paper. Not to mention, there’s a ton of pens and clothes on the floor. It looks like a nuclear bomb gone off.

“Holy shit…” Sanghyuk says, looking around. His bag slips from his shoulder and lands on the floor with an audible thud. The lump on the bed (if you can call it that) shifts and a boy with messy silver hair lifts his head. He squints and grunts, pushing himself up and promptly falling off the bed in a groan. Sanghyuk stares, jaw hanging a bit. How could someone live like this? Actually… How could someone contain a mess to _one_ side of the room? That has to be the most amazing skill Sanghyuk has ever seen.  

The guy looks up with droopy eyes and gives Sanghyuk a lazy grin. “Who are you?” he asks. Sanghyuk doesn’t answer right away his brain is still processing the massive mess next to him.

“Han… Han Sanghyuk…”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Wonshik.” The guy gets up and shakes his head. Strands of hair falls into his eyes, but he pays them no mind. “What can I do for ya?”

“I’m supposed to be rooming here…”

Wonshik droopy eyes narrows. “No, you’re not.” Sanghyuk is taken aback by the very sudden change in character. This guy, Wonshik, seemed chill in the beginning. Now… Sanghyuk doesn’t know what to classify him as. Bipolar maybe?

“But,” Sanghyuk says to Wonshik’s back as he attempts to make his bed (it looked even _messier_ than before). “It says so on my student sheet!” Wonshik whips around, eyes looking wild. He stalks closer to the young student and squints. The name ‘Han Sanghyuk’ is written clear as day in the room on the next floor.

“Wrong floor,” Wonshik says. “I have a roommate.”

“What?” Sanghyuk looks at his sheet again and like a moron, he was on the wrong floor. But what confuses him the most about Wonshik’s statement is how the other side of the room looks barely lived in. The bed looks empty, with no sheet left untucked. But when Wonshik doesn’t answer, he had no choice but to leave.

He heads up to floor above, muttering to himself. When he opens the door, something resembling a robot walks over and waves. From the desk closest to the window he sees a boy with dark brown hair, hunched over. Something that sounds like metal tinkering together reaches Sanghyuk’s ears.

“Um…” he says, and the boy stiffens, jerkily turning around. That is till he breaks out into a massive grin. His cheeks raise and Sanghyuk can see his cheek bones.

“Hi!” he says. “I’m Yook Sungjae! You have to be Sanghyuk, my roommate.”

“What are you building?”

“A robot friend… for my robot. So, he won’t be lonely.” Sanghyuk has decided not to question anything as his roommate continues to grin and tinker. “My robot’s name is Yookduck. He’s a rapper in a rap band. I can make you one too!”

“That’ll be cool! Thanks!” Sanghyuk says, wishing his Alice was just as cool. He wants to be able to make robots that perform in a band. Maybe he’ll name it something along the lines of that popular restaurant called Bigs. But… it has to be not like Bigs because that’s copyright and Sanghyuk could get sued. Maybe VIXX but he isn’t so sure yet. “Can I pick a name for him?”

“Sure! He’s gonna join this rap band called ‘Big Byung’ and like they’re gonna rap about stress and squids – I mean self-love. I need two more members though…” Sungjae thinks about it, scratching his head. “Oh well I’ll think of something.”

Sanghyuk nods, still feeling slightly awkward around his new roommate. But he figures he’ll get used to it. In fact, it feels kind of weird transferring schools so randomly and in the middle of the school year too. But, he brushes that off as something this school does… for fun, he guesses.

“I have a name,” Sanghyuk says, after thinking about it for a good 20 minutes. He wanted to get the right name and he thinks he’s gotten it.

“What is it?” Sungjae asks, looking up from his completed female robot (whom he named Joy).

“Hyukddi.”

Sungjae blinks before breaking out into laughter. “That’s the best name ever!” Sanghyuk grins, deciding he likes Sungjae. Both of them spend the rest of the day pouring over names for the last two members. They came up with ‘Dolbaeki’ and ‘Wangkong’, where they decided that Dolbaeki will be dramatic in fashion while Wangkong is dramatic in rapping style. Both of them agree that this is what needs to happen and then promptly spends the rest of the night figuring out lyrics for their first song, “ _Stress Come on!_ ”

In that moment, Sanghyuk decides that coming here, albeit forcefully, wasn’t the worst thing ever. He means, he could be worse.

~***~

Taekwoon dries his raven coloured hair with Hakyeon’s towel because it’s simply fluffier than his towel as he walks out of the bathroom. Steam from his recent shower pours out and he shakes the remaining water off of his hair. He sits at his desk, looking at a new assignment the teacher in charge of his class ability. He huffs at the name of his partner. _Kim Wonshik_.

He doesn’t hate Wonshik, no, they’re friends. Both of them like the same thing: composing and music. But when it comes to missions like this, they disagree. Wonshik likes sneaking up behind them, using his Alice to cause havoc. Taekwoon, on the other hand, doesn’t want anything to be messy or dramatic. He wants something nice and easy, so when he slips out, he doesn’t feel as bad lighting that place up.

He crushes the paper, chucking it into the waste bin and leans back. Closing his eyes for just a moment, he thinks back to when it was easy. When he wasn’t placed in the ‘dangerous’ category for having an Alice that potentially caused more harm than good. It isn’t his fault, no. Things like this, things like Alices are never the user’s fault. They’re just dragged along for some harmless fun.

Taekwoon smirks. The thought of Alices being harmless is hilarious. What’s funny is that, he’s the only one who’s in the dangerous category. He doesn’t see Park Chanyeol, another fire user, placed in here. He wonders why but stops when his dorm room is opened. Sitting up, he turns around in his seat, finding Hakyeon there looking worried.

His eyebrows are furrowed together, and his mouth is pulled in a tight line.

“Woonie,” he says. “Do you… do you think the school is setting something up?”

“This school is always setting something up,” Taekwoon responds, slouching down. “Why?”

“My baby brother is here.” Taekwoon’s eyes widen. Hakyeon’s brother, Sanghyuk, was supposed to be the school’s target 11 years ago. But Hakyeon didn’t want his brother to be forcibly taken away from his parents at such a young age and volunteered to go. He has never regretted it but, Taekwoon knows that there is some part of Hakyeon that wished he was there to see his younger brother grow up.

“How…?” Taekwoon asks.

Hakyeon sits on his side of the room, pulling his long legs up. “He said that he got a letter from me,” he says. “We aren’t allowed to _leave_ the school…”

“And we’re not allowed to send letters to our families,” Taekwoon fills in, looking out the window. He frowns, thinking about his parents and older sisters. They’re probably worried about him, wondering if he’s okay. At least, he wants to believe that. His parents feared him lighting them up on fire when his Alice was first discovered.

“So,” Hakyeon says, interrupting Taekwoon’s train of thoughts. “How did he get a letter from me?”

Before Taekwoon could give his suggestions, his phone rings. A distinct ringtone that he’s never supposed to pick up. It’s the sound of funeral bells, and it signals Taekwoon’s doom before a mission. He swallows audibly, always fearing these suicide missions. Some days, he’s worried about not making it out alive.

Hakyeon’s eyes widen at the sound. “So soon?” Taekwoon nods, solemnly. “Do you still have the stone I gave you?”

“Yours or Sanghyuk’s?”

“Both.” Taekwoon wordlessly lifts up the chain on his neck. One stone – Hakyeon’s – a deep ivory black with hints of grey swirling around, dangles right beside a much bigger stone. The second stone – Sanghyuk’s – is a deep red. The kind of red one sees when you look too deeply in a cauldron of red paint. It’s a deep ruby red, the rare kind that one wishes to see in their life time.

Much like a ruby, Sanghyuk’s Alice stone is huge, the size of a cobble. No one, at least no one that anyone Taekwoon knows, has been able to make an Alice stone that large willingly. The unwilling candidates, well, they could have any sized Alice stone. But Taekwoon doesn’t like thinking about that. When he does, his heart hurts for Wonshik.

Shaking his head, he gets up. “I’ll be okay,” he mutters, walking over and kissing Hakyeon on the forehead. “Trust me.”

“It doesn’t mean I can’t be worried about you.” Hakyeon puffs out his cheeks, sucking the air back in and grinning. “Just… don’t do too much stupid things with Wonshik.”

“No promises,” Taekwoon mutters again, grabbing his torn jean jacket and heading out of the room. Hakyeon watches as his lover leaves, muttering something to himself that would most likely get him in trouble if Taekwoon ever heard.

“I hate seeing you leave but I _love_ watching you go.”

~***~

It’s dusk when they arrive at the location. Wonshik makes a small noise of sadness, the lack of light makes him feel weak and useless. Swallowing, the younger follows Taekwoon, sneaking into a small hole in the wall. They head up the hallway, ducking into the shadows whenever someone walks by. Wonshik steps on one of the shadows that appear from the overhead lights. The guard walking slips suddenly, falling hard on his ass.

Stifling a giggle, Wonshik follows Taekwoon through the darkening hallway.

“Hyung,” Wonshik whispers when they get close enough. “Why are we here?”

“I have a hunch…” Wonshik isn’t stupid. There must’ve been a vision that Ryeowook had and told Hakyeon who told Taekwoon. Wonshik really shouldn’t be upset by this, Taekwoon means well and always has.

“But this is—”

“Do you want to find him or not?” Taekwoon asks, his voice becoming snippy. Wonshik shuts up and nods. He clutches onto a small pendant on his bracelet. Wordlessly, he nods at Taekwoon, signalling the older to continue moving.

_Don’t worry,_ Wonshik thinks. _I’ll find you. I promise._

 

* * *

 

**_Student profile_ **

**_Name: Jung Taekwoon (_ ** **_정택운_ ** **_)_ **

**_Age: 17/18_ **

**_Gender: Male_ **

**_Alice: Fire (Common – but the level he has it at is not)_ **

**_Classification: Dangerous (Uncontrollable)_ **

**_Special notes:_ **

  * **_Has a seemingly unlimited supply of power but lacks any control; evidenced by the numerous times he unwillingly lit things on fire._**
  * **_Found when he lit his elementary school on fire; it took 5 fire trucks to put out._**
  * **_Keep away from Cha Hakyeon; if combined, we are worried about the safety of the students_**
  * **_The last point is completely scribbled in black ink, making it impossible to read._**




	5. Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I remember this fan fiction. Totally

**Four**

* * *

To say that Sanghyuk is overwhelmed is a bit of an understatement. He can feel his heart beating loudly in his ears as he awkwardly follows Sungjae to the classes. They have the same schedule and Sanghyuk feels like he’s behind the class from how it’s being taught. First, they have English with Mr. Shim Changmin and already he’s in way over his head. He mentions a book that Sanghyuk hasn’t heard of. When he asks, “Has anyone here not read the book yet?” Sanghyuk is the only one who raised his hand.

“See me after class.” Is the only response he got and to that he sighs, heavily. Behind him, he can hear snickers from the other students, but he tries to pay them no mind. At least, he has Sungjae with him. But, by the end of the class, Sanghyuk has already made some friends.

There’s Oh Sehun, the young man who uses the power of wind, evidenced by the violent and chaotic winds that were going on and off periodically in class. Sehun is handsome, that’s what Sanghyuk thinks. He had this aura and look to him that screams “regality”.

The second guy he met is Jeon Jungkook, a young (perhaps younger than Sanghyuk) kid with an even more youthful face. He has the Alice of telekinesis, evidenced by all his school items floating around him. It seems like he couldn’t figure out how to lower them judging by the frown on his face. Sanghyuk feels bad for him, it has to be a pain in the ass not to be able to put anything down.

The last person, Sanghyuk meets is a little girl named Kim Namjoo with a clairvoyant Alice. She explains it as having eyes everywhere, being able to see everyone wherever they are. Sanghyuk finds that a little creepy especially when she’s unable to turn it off too. She tells him, “I can see my mom at home right now.” He shudders at the thought of someone watching him doing whatever. Privacy is simply not a thing with her kind of Alice.

“So,” Sungjae says when lunchtime rolls around and Sanghyuk’s head is overwhelmed by all so much information. It’s the first day for him and already he has 2 hours of homework. Not only is Mr. Shim Changmin a demon in assigning homework (he has to read that novel that he didn’t know about) but his math teacher, Mr. Lee Seunghyun, assigned 21 math questions on a topic Sanghyuk isn’t totally familiar with. It’s official, he’s going to die. “Our class is for students who can’t control their Alices.”

The two students walk to an empty table in the middle of the cafeteria. Students from all grades gather here and Sanghyuk can see how groups and cliques separate out. He wonders which group he’ll end up in but that’s decided for him when he sees Hakyeon waving like a moron from way yonder. He’s sitting next to a good-looking boy, the feminine kind of boy that you see in Korean idol groups.

“Do you know who that is?” Sungjae asks. Sanghyuk is about to say no, but that’d be a big fat lie. Hakyeon shouts his name across the crowded cafeteria. Sanghyuk couldn’t help but facepalm. “It’s okay, Hakyeon-hyung is like that.” Sungjae laughs, dragging his same height friend over to the large table where roughly ten people are sitting.

He sits down in between Jaehwan and Sungjae, who then turns to a guy who kind of looks like a fox and together they start talking animatedly, with the fox guy making loud and exaggerated noises and gestures.

Jaehwan taps him on the shoulder, leaning on Sanghyuk a bit. “What’s up?”

“School is hard,” he says, placing his head down. “I’m going to die.”

“Why?” Hakyeon says, removing his arm from the cat looking guy’s neck. “Who is going to kill you? Don’t die Hyukkie!!”

Sanghyuk raises his head, giving his brother a dull and annoyed look. “I’m not going to die…”

“Oh, thank god.”

“Hakyeon,” the cat guy says in a surprisingly soft voice. “I think he’s overwhelmed.”

Hakyeon nods, sitting down. Jaehwan take the opportunity to offer something interesting to Sanghyuk. “If you want, I can tutor you. In math at least. Believe it or not, I’m actually a secret genius. But don’t tell anyone.” He places his finger up to his lips, making a ‘shh’ sound and winking. For someone who’s supposedly older than he is, Jaehwan is really cute and Sanghyuk can’t help but wonder how someone like him become so cute.

Sanghyuk looks around the table, seeing Wonshik sitting at the end of the table holding his head in pain. Getting up and reaching over, he taps the silver haired boy on the forearm. Wonshik’s head jerks up in shock before his eyes relaxes. “Oh, it’s you.”

“Yah, Kim Wonshik how do you know my brother?” Hakyeon asks, slapping the younger student in the arm.

“He came into my room and said I was his roommate.”

“It was an accident!” Sanghyuk says, sitting back down as Jaehwan cracks up from laughter. His face is making the laughing notion, but no sound is coming out. Over on Sanghyuk’s left, he hears the fox guy laugh.

“That’s so funny!” he says, slapping his hand on the table. “Big Byung, oh my god. I love it!”

“Sanghyuk helped me!” Sungjae says, grinning.

“Hi!” The fox guy reaches a hand out. “I’m Eunkwang! I have a mind reading Alice!” His face falls from a smile to an exaggerated frown. “Did you just call me a monkey!? Huh!? Illhoon, I’m going to kill you!” He whips around and attacks another boy, who’s cracking up from the intense humour of this situation.

Sanghyuk couldn’t help but laugh along with Eunkwang’s crazy antics. Jaehwan places an arm on Sanghyuk’s shoulder and for a moment, he wishes that lunch was longer. But it isn’t and thirty minutes later, the bell rings for them to go to class. By the end of the lunch hour, Sanghyuk is trying to remember all their names and pair Alices up with them. He got Taekwoon, Hakyeon’s boyfriend (who he didn’t know was gay but, okay. Do whatever, Sanghyuk doesn’t judge) and looks like a cat with his chubby cheeks, who has a fire Alice. But, Sanghyuk doesn’t think someone with that soft of a voice should have such a dangerous Alice. To each there own, he guesses.

There’s Minhyuk, the flower boy looking guy with the pleasant smile, he has the cooking Alice and everyone at the table tells him to try it. “It’s to die for,” Jaehwan had said, smiling.

Then, there’s Changsub, the tall guy who looks like he’ll probably shank you in the back-alley way but is really a sweet boy. He has a flying Alice, which, according to Sungjae, is really fucking hilarious. His words, not Sanghyuk’s. “Changsub-hyung is super scared of heights,” Sungjae explains during the break in between classes. “It’s hilariously ironic for someone with a fear of heights to have a flying Alice.”

The next three members; Hyunsik, Donggeun and Ilhoon were the ones causing the commotion with Eunkwang-hyung. Sanghyuk struggles to remember their Alices. When he asks Sungjae, he couldn’t remember it either.

“Eh,” he says. “It’ll come up.”

“I guess.”

They sit in comfortable quietness till Sungjae breaks it again. “What’s your Alice? I don’t think I asked.”

“Oh,” Sanghyuk says, thinking about the multitude of conversations he had this morning. Not once did his Alice come up. “I have a healing Alice apparently.” Sungjae’s eyes grow comically wide. This causes some concern for Sanghyuk, who nibbles on his lower lip nervously. “Is… is that bad?”

“No way dude! That’s such a cool Alice!” From behind he hears Jungkook piping up with something.

“Rumor has it that there’s only _one_ other person here that has that exact same Alice!” The young boy is practically bouncing in his seat. “Yixing-hyung is basically a child genius in his Alice!”

Sanghyuk turns around. “Yixing-hyung…?”

“You’ll meet him,” Jungkook says, sheepishly. “When we graduate from the starter level… I hope I don’t get placed in the ‘Dangerous’ category.”

Sanghyuk gives him a blank look, blinking a bit. “Categories…?”

“Since you came in late… all of us are in the starter level because our Alices are just discovered by the school,” Sungjae explains. “By the end of… this month actually, we’ll all be sorted out into different categories.

I think there’s five or six in total… I’m not sure. But there’s Latent – the typical Alices you see in superhero movies. They aren’t really like elements, cause that’s a whole different kind of category, but they’re the ones that are more of what you can do with your mind that isn’t mind control.”

“I have a latent Alice!” Jungkook exclaims, raising his hand.

“Right!” Sungjae says. “Then there’s elemental, which is the elements one. All kinds of elements are there, including metal – which is hella cool if you ask me.”

Sehun, who happen to be sitting near them, raises his voice in the conversation. “I’m an elemental Alice user.” He flashes a small smile at them.

“The third category is technical,” Sungjae continues, flashing Sehun his signature grin. “It’s the category that doesn’t include any kind of special powers, but we can create things or build things that are super cool!”

“Like Big Byung,” Sanghyuk says. “Or that chocolate launcher you made this morning.”

“Exactly! Fourth, there’s the somatic category and these guys are pheromone users. They’re able to manipulate people’s or animals’ emotions and hormones; kind of like mind control but also not like mind control.

Fifth, there is the unique category. These are the students with either a super rare Alice like Hyukkie here, or they’re Alice users who display either a strong or a weak control. They’re like a gifted program.

Finally,” Sungjae says, leaning in closer. His eyes are shifty. “There’s the dangerous category. This is when you show an uncontrollable Alice or an Alice that could harm other students. It’s a small class but, they’re really dangerous because they could possibly kill everyone here.” He shudders for dramatic effect.

Jungkook leans in too. “I heard there was an Alice user who had the stealing Alice.”

“Stealing…?” Sanghyuk gulps. “Like…?”

“If this student touches you,” Jungkook says. “Your Alice is gone! Poof! Like magic and you can’t use it anymore.”

“That’s an example of an Alice that’s naturally harmful to others,” Sungjae says, nodding. “Or you get thrown into the dangerous category because _you_ not your Alice is a danger to other students. Like… Wonshik-hyung is part of the dangerous category…”

Sanghyuk blinks. Wonshik is like the second chillest person he’s ever met, besides that one guy who he met at the back of a 7-Eleven. Except, Sanghyuk remembers the bipolar nature of Wonshik and it suddenly makes sense on why he’s considered “dangerous”.

Sungjae pats Jungkook – who’s currently freaking out – on the head. Sanghyuk’s water bottle begins to levitate, he firmly yanks it down. “I don’t think any of us will be placed in the ‘dangerous’ category. None of us are dangerous.”

“Except maybe Sehun,” Jungkook says. He squeals when Sehun knocks him over with a harsh gust of wind. Sanghyuk has never laughed so hard in his life.

~***~

Three weeks later, they officially graduated from the starter level. Sanghyuk has never been more exhausted before in his life. In the past three weeks, he’s been trying to hone his Alice till its controllable. But, from what he understands – from reading the student handbook – some Alices simply cannot be tamed to the point where they could summon it on command.

Sanghyuk’s happened to be one of those.

When he touches someone, their injuries are healed by at the cost of his body. Apparently, he gets super exhausted the more he heals. The bigger the injury the more exhausted Sanghyuk becomes.

Right now, he’s ready for a nap, or maybe sleeping till next November. He sits in class listening to how the selection process works. It’s a test, one to see how well their Alices hold up. Sanghyuk is the thirtieth student to do the test, he’s the last to go.

He watches his friends go first and come out looking terrified.

“I’m sure I messed up…” Jungkook says the moment he comes out. “I got nervous and couldn’t… I couldn’t control how things flew up in the air… a book hit Mr. Choi in the face.”

Sanghyuk grimaces and pats Jungkook on the head. He begins to worry about his placement test; the last thing he wants is to be labelled as dangerous.

“Han Sanghyuk,” the tester calls. A new teacher that he doesn’t know. He follows her down the hall and into the testing room. It’s white with small dots lining the sides. When the door closes, he’s trapped in a white room.

“You have 30 minutes, good luck.”

“Wait!” Sanghyuk shouts as the white room around him begins to fade and a scene straight out of a motherfucking horror movie comes into view. “What’s the test!? You guys didn’t tell me anything!!”

Someone screams for help and the instant drive to help snaps Sanghyuk out of his trance. He rushes over, touching the gravely injuries person. The person, someone he doesn’t know, has a large gash in the middle of their chest. Sanghyuk knows this injury will literally drain the remaining energy he has.

“20 minutes remaining.” _Oh god,_ he thinks, pressing his hands into the bloody wound. Red gushes out and over his arms as the wound begins to slowly heal.

He feels lightheaded but continues pressing on.

“15 minutes remaining.” The robotic voice above gets him into a panic, and the extra adrenaline is what he needs to heal that wound. The gash closes faster just as the time continues to rapidly decrease. He hears the robotic voice count down.

“5…4…3…2…1…” The wound closes when the time hit one. “Times up, thank you.” Sanghyuk leaves the testing room feeling drained. The first portion is over, but there’s still the results. And if Sanghyuk was being honest, the hardest part is yet to come.

When he gets back, he collapses with his equally exhausted friends. But before anyone could ask him how he did, a teacher – Mrs. Lee Chae-Rin walks in.

“The results are in.”

* * *

 

**_Student Profile_ **

**_Name: Lee Jaehwan (_ ** **_이재환_ ** **_)_ **

**_Age: 16/17_ **

**_Gender: Male_ **

**_Alice: Animal Telepathy (Communication with animals; Average)_ **

**_Classification: Somatic_ **

**_Special notes:_ **

  * **_Has ~~307 308~~ a lot of detentions; he is a known troublemaker. We need to keep an eye on him_**
  * **_Was discovered through his parents calling the school to report that their son— The letters are blacked out with whiteout, making it hard to read._**
  * **_Keep away fr—The words end there, as if the writer ran out of ink and never bothered to finish writing._**



 


	6. Five

**Five**

* * *

The students swallow nervously as Mrs. Lee Chae-Rin walks around and hands the envelopes to the students. Sanghyuk gets his last. She waits till everyone has effectively shit themselves before telling them to open the envelopes. Whoops and cheers from the students and he hear whoops from his friends.

“I’m not in the dangerous category!” Jungkook says, clapping. Sanghyuk opens his, looking at the expected category: Unique. He lets out a breath of relief that he didn’t know he was holding. It turns out the rest of the day is free, there’s no point in learning something new. The students are thrown out of the classroom.

“What are you planning to do?” Sungjae asks Sanghyuk as the two walks back to their dorm room. The plan is to discard their school bags and uniforms, changing into something much more comfortable. But after that, they haven’t really gotten a plan. All Sanghyuk wants to do is sleep but he has a feeling that Sungjae isn’t really up for his friend being super anti-social.

“What’s there around here?” Sanghyuk asks, realizing that he’s never really been around the campus at all. Well besides the school, the dorms and the dining hall.

Sungjae pauses to think, his finger comically on his thumb. “Heard there’s this café on campus… it’s run by students, wanna see it?” Sanghyuk agrees, not thinking of a better alternative. The decision is settled within minutes; something Sanghyuk likes. He thinks back to his mother who, god bless her, loved to change her mind last minute. His heart begins to sink whenever he thinks about his parents and how much he misses them.

He thinks about the fact that he didn’t even get to say good bye to them.

But he forces himself to shake that thought out of his mind. After they change into something comfortable, the two of them make their way to that student run café. Sanghyuk yawns, covering his mouth.

“Tired?” Sungjae asks. Sanghyuk nods.

“How do you guys do it?”

“With Red Bull.” He laughs, and they joke on the path down.

The café in question stands like a normal café he’d see on the streets of Daejeon. It has a pink roof with cute little tables littering the outside. The young students look at it in awe, but someone catches Sanghyuk’s eye. Wonshik is sitting outside, staring at his drink with the blankest stare Sanghyuk has ever seen on someone. He frowns, walking over with a very loud Sungjae following behind him.

“Wonshik-hyung,” Sanghyuk says, pointing to a chair across from him. “You look lonely.”

Wonshik looks at them like they were aliens, seemingly disoriented. “Don’t worry about him,” another figure says, holding something that resembles a strawberry Frappuccino. “He’s just a bit dazed from staying up too late.” The new figure, a young man with rather tanned skin but a very handsome face. Perhaps the kind of handsome face you’d expect your male leads in dramas to have, gives the two young students a sweet smile.

“It wasn’t my fault,” Wonshik mumbles, burying his head into his hands. “Oh god.”

“Is he okay?” Sanghyuk asks.

“Yeah, he’s fine. Hi, I’m Jongin,” he flashes another sweet smile. “I have the Alice of teleportation.” And with that, he disappears from where he was and appears right beside Sungjae, who lets out a dramatic loud scream.

“Sanghyuk. And the one screaming is Sungjae.” Sanghyuk decides that he likes this guy, there’s something about him that makes him feel at ease.

Wonshik gets up and cracks his neck a bit. “Jongin,” he mutters. “Do you… Wait, Sanghyuk… when did you get here?”

“You _just_ noticed!?” Sungjae’s comic face makes it hard for the air to remain heavy, leaning to a much needed laughing break.

 The four sits down, getting to know each other. That is till Wonshik had to ask, “Wasn’t your graduation today?” The two younger students nod, somberly, remembering the test they were shoved through. Sanghyuk shudders at the memories. “What category did you guys get placed in?”

“Oh! I hope you’re in my class!” Jongin says, clapping his hands together. “It’ll be fun to have more people in the latent class.”

“As if that class wasn’t already overfilled,” Wonshik says, dryly. He gets a punch from his friend as punishment. “Hey, it’s not my fault that there’s so many students who have basic Alices!”

“Rude.”

“I’m in the technical category!” Sungjae says, as he sips his tea. “I wonder who’s in it…” He looks off soulfully into the sky.

“Taemin,” Jongin and Wonshik says. “Jinx. Double jinx. Triple jinx.”

“Dumbass says what?” Jongin says quickly.

“Dumbass says Fu—”

“Kim Wonshik, we have children in our presence, be civil.”

“It’s hard to be civil when—”

“I’m in the unique category,” Sanghyuk pipes up after swallowing a large and delicious mouthful of soup. Judging by the looks on the older students’ faces, the unique category isn’t particularly something he should be proud of. Sanghyuk swallows, feeling a bit of anxiety rising in the back of his throat. “Is… is it bad?”

Wonshik is the first to say something. “Shit. I owe Hakyeon-hyung ₩20,000.” Sanghyuk hears Jongin shout, “Ha! Loser!” before he dares ask what he meant. “I made a bet with Hakyeon-hyung on which category you’ll be placed in. I seriously thought you’d be in latent.”

“When was this made?”

“Like… 2 weeks ago.”

Sungjae sighs forlornly into his hand. “Sanghyuk… I can’t believe you’re only worth ₩20,000. That’s like… nothing.”

“I feel so cheap.” Sanghyuk shakes his head and places it down in despair. He gets a loving pat on the back, probably by Sungjae. But he’s still in despair. His own brother tried to sell him off… for just ₩20,000. What a mockery. Sanghyuk can never get married to a pretty girl anymore, knowing she wouldn’t want to hang out with a loser like him.

“Well,” Wonshik says to lighten the mood. “At least none of you guys are in the dangerous category.” He gives them all a smile, a really sad one.

“Is it bad…?” Sungjae asks. “To be in the dangerous category, I mean.”

“Well…” Wonshik says, looking into his drink again. “Let’s just say, it isn’t a walk in the park.”

Jongin leans back on his chair. “Yeah, but what really is?” Sanghyuk lifts his head and gives Jongin the obligatory bro-nod, signalling the understanding between two bros. At moments like these, all Wonshik could do is sigh. He made himself sad again and he told himself he wouldn’t do it.

“Wow,” Sungjae says after a while. “That was deep… like the ocean. Or Pitbull.” Another round of laughter ensues and Sanghyuk likes to think that Wonshik’s sadness is gone. At least, the sadness he saw in the latter’s eyes is slowly edging away. It’s a good sign.

~***~

A young boy, probably at the age of 14… or 15, he couldn’t remember, leans against the wall, eyes closed. The room around him is dark, and he runs his fingers against the stones that decorate the wall. The stones of the Alices he stole… by accident. The young boy isn’t allowed to go near other students, not since his Alice was discovered.

In fear, the school had decided the best course of action was to hide the boy away, locking him in a cellar big enough for minor stimulation. But, it’s lonely. It’s not fun when people don’t come to visit you and it’s not fun to not have anyone talk to you. So, the boy has become silent, grabbing onto anything and everything that could make a sound. Anything to keep him sane in this nuthouse.

He sighs, opening his eyes. A dull wax candle illuminates the dark, windowless room. There’s no point in keeping the candle on, not when there’s nothing to do. So, with that in mind, he staggers up, feeling lightheaded – the maids must have forgotten to bring him his meal again – and walks over to the candle.

With a sharp blow, he plunges himself into darkness.

~***~

Sungjae, Sehun, Jungkook and Sanghyuk all meet up in the main lobby the very next morning. All of them compare schedules and discover that they all have study hall together. Havoc will surely ensue when these four are together, but they’re totally not thinking about that. Excitement fills them up as they walk towards their separate classrooms.

The first to leave were Sungjae and Jungkook, both of whom were in the two largest classes. They wave goodbye, promising to send them memes to keep them all entertained till the end of the school day. Sehun is the next to leave when they venture towards his classroom, the third largest class in the school. He waves goodbye but waves a bit too hard, causing some wind to come and mess up Sanghyuk’s hair.

Sanghyuk makes his way down the long corridor towards the very end of the hallway. Where the unique kids are and when he opens the door, he’s surprised to see how tiny the class is. With a small handful of people (he counts 7 more heads, including Hakyeon who waves at him from the far side) this is surely the smallest class he’s been in. He hesitantly walks in, waving at his brother.

“Guys,” his brother says, standing up. “This is my brother. Hyukkie say hi!”

Sanghyuk face palms.  He looks around at the small class, he sees: a small-looking boy with a childish face, the kind you see play the boy next door in movies; a stern looking boy with sharp eyes and would probably rob you if given the chance; a cute looking girl with large eyes – a stereotypical look of a pretty girl; a boy with a soulful looking face, as if someone told him that the world isn’t full of unicorns and happiness; a really beautiful, ethereal boy, the kind of beauty that almost makes Sanghyuk want to turn fully gay; and a boy with a large mop of brown hair laying face-down on the desk. Oh, and his idiot of an older brother but Sanghyuk already counted and saw him.  

“Hi,” he says awkwardly as everyone looks at him. “I’m Sanghyuk… nice to meet you!” He bows, feeling like that’s what he’s supposed to do.

What he doesn’t expect is for someone to start laughing. When he looks up, the stern looking boy is cackling up. “Hakyeon-hyung,” he says, slapping the table. “What did you do to him!? He looks scared!!”

“Yah,” Hakyeon says, slapping the guy in the shoulder. “This is just how he is. Socially awkward.”

“I feel so loved,” Sanghyuk deadpans. He gets a neck chopped for such a comment. Worth it. The soulful guy taps the sleeping guy awake. He jerks up and shakes the hair out of his face.

“We need to introduce ourselves. State your name and Alice.” Hakyeon says, clapping his hands together. The next thirty minutes were consistent of nothing but introductions. And Sanghyuk tries his hardest to remember everyone’s names. The boyish looking boy is Park Jimin, with the rare Alice of weather manipulation as he shows through the sudden change from a cloudy and gloomy day to a beautiful day. The stern looking guy is Wang Ka Yee – telling Sanghyuk to call him Jackson for simplicity sakes – with the dramatic and fun Alice of bring drawings to life.

Though, his drawings are rather… strange to Sanghyuk, but again, each their own.

The cute looking girl is Minatozaki Sana with the very hilarious and adorable Alice of bubbles. She blows a small bubble from her fingers and shoots it at Sanghyuk. When it pops the smell of candied strawberries fills the room. “Goddammit,” Jackson says. “The room smells like a little girl.”

“How do you know what a little girl smell like?” Hakyeon asks. Jackson didn’t answer and Sanghyuk is glad he didn’t.

The soulful boy is Jung Daehyun, with a dangerously amazing Alice of dream manipulations. He gives Sanghyuk a dark grin before perking back up. “Be careful when you sleep at night,” he says with his heavy Busan accent. Sanghyuk makes a mental note to lock his door and windows when he goes to bed.

The ethereal boy is Kim Woosung; he explains to Sanghyuk that he isn’t always there. And that becomes a reality when Woosung suddenly disappears in the middle of explaining why he isn’t always there. Sanghyuk blinks at the empty spot where the boy used to be. “Don’t worry about it,” Jimin says. “He has the time-travelling Alice and… yeah.”

The final guy is Zhang Yixing and Sanghyuk is completely floored by how young he looks. He thought the guy would be a teacher or something, but the allusive Yixing-hyung is standing in front of the young student. “I’ve heard so much about you!” he blurts out. Yixing looks over, his eyes are glazed as if he’s high.

“Hi,” he says, flashing a lazy grin. “I’m Zhang Yixing.”

“I know.”

“I have the healing Alice.”

“I know.”

“I’m—”

“Yixing,” Jackson interrupts. “No one wants to hear your whole life story. Go back to sleep.” The moment that is said, Yixing flops his head back down and sleeps, soft snores could be heard in the room.

Sanghyuk leans over to Jimon, the one person who doesn’t scare him, and whispers. “Is he normally like that?”

“Yixing-hyung? Yeah… He’s super weird.” Jimin nods solemnly and looks up at the ceiling. “Today’s going to be boring.”

“Why?”

“We don’t have a teacher… In case you haven’t noticed, this class is puny.”

Sanghyuk looks at his new friend is absolute disbelief. “How are we supposed to pass!?”

“Self-learning.”

Sanghyuk groans and slouches in his seat. That’s when he finally notices his brother missing. Blinking, he looks around the room. “Where did Hakyeon-hyung go?” he mutters to himself. But, before he could go to see, a massive textbook is laid out in front of him. Daehyun looks down with an eerie smile.

“Better get to work,” he says. Sanghyuk is too scared to disobey him and opens the textbook without anymore hesitations. _It’s gonna be a long day,_ Sanghyuk thinks to himself as he solves his math problems.

~***~

Taekwoon leans against a tree root, using it as support for his head. It’s mid-day, a little after lunch and he’s already feeling really sleepy. Leaning beside him, like wearing a fitted glove is Hakyeon, resting on his shoulder. The trees in the greenhouse room is truly the place to be when you’re planning to skip class and take a cat nap.

It lush, thanks to Namjoon, the boy with the plant Alice, and it’s very warm. A bit too warm if outside is beautiful. But, since it’s the beginning of December, Taekwoon chooses to hide in the greenhouse. No one here will bother him, and no one will force him on special missions for the school to steal government files and would possibly get them all killed.

He feels Hakyeon breathing quietly on his neck, a pleasant feeling of being in serenity. He feels his body relax, melting into the grass. If he thinks hard enough, Taekwoon is sure that he’ll be able to melt into space, disappearing into a dimension without any responsibility. He turns his head and nuzzles Hakyeon’s head – who responds with a grunt.

Hakyeon always smells like flowers, fresh flowers that Taekwoon remembers finding in the fields when he was a child. It’s fresh and the smell reminds him of innocence. The times before he was discovered to be an Alice user. He wants to go back to those times and go back to his graduation and work harder to place himself in the Elemental category.

But time travelling isn’t his Alice and he doesn’t feel like changing history anymore. He’s sure that many people would want to go back in time, renew something, change something to make it easier for them in the future. Or maybe live out past regrets.

But as Woosung said to him, “Time-travel has a cost.”

Taekwoon sighs and flicks a small flame from his finger.

“Hey now,” Namjoon says, walking over and threatening Taekwoon with a very full watering can. “Don’t do that here. You’ll set my hard work ablaze.”

“Sorry,” he mutters, flicking it down and placing his hand behind his head again. “Why aren’t you in class?”

“I could ask the same for you.”

“I’m dangerous remember?”

Namjoon nods, looking forlorn, sullen almost. He continues to quietly water the flowers around the couple. “My teacher said I could leave to…” He gestures to the flowers and plants around them. “Tend to my children.”

Taekwoon can’t help himself. “I thought Seokjin was your child.” A light stream of water falls on his head. “I deserve that.”

“Hell yeah you do.” Hakyeon gets up from the terror that is known as a very annoyed Namjoon. He shakes water from his dark hair, blinking at them sleepily.

“What did I miss?” He gets a unanimous ‘nothing’ from the both of them. Taekwoon softly tells him to go back to sleep and Hakyeon does, choosing Taekwoon’s arm as a pillow again. Taekwoon mutters about how his arm is gonna go numb from it all.

“You two are disgustingly cute together,” Namjoon pipes up from the other end of the greenhouse. Taekwoon hums, ignoring the younger’s comment. He suddenly remembers something Hakyeon had said to him a little while ago.

“Namjoon?” he calls.

“Yes, hyung?”

“Do you…” Taekwoon swallows. “Do you know if there’s a place that could be used to imprison someone? Like on campus.”

Namjoon stops watering his plants, turning around at Taekwoon. His eyes are blown, scared and his Adam’s apple is bobbing. “Wh-What do you mean? Do you think someone is being locked up…? Wouldn’t we—”

Taekwoon shakes his head. “Not if they manipulate our memories.”

“Why would they lock someone up?” Namjoon sets his watering can down and walks over to where the couple is. “Why would you say that?”

“Ryeowook.” The younger nods, finally understanding. The vice principal, Kim Ryeowook is notorious for being friendly to his students. No one particularly hates him as he’s just a sweet man to everyone. Being friendly and being… well Ryeowook gives him the advantage to get to know his students on a personal level. Which also means, he’s allowed to warn them about upcoming dangers that he foresees with his prediction Alice.

And everyone at the school knows, Ryeowook is never wrong with his predictions.

And everyone also knows how close Hakyeon is to Ryeowook, with Ryeowook being Hakyeon’s second father after coming to the school 11 years ago as a scared 7-year-old. Hakyeon, and Taekwoon to an extent, is the first to learn about anything that could happen to them. That’s how Hakyeon always knows when to send Jaehwan to get Taekwoon from his missions.

Now, Ryeowook has been having visions, nightmares almost, every night about someone being locked up, somewhere in the school. He doesn’t know where, but he can hear the voices of someone calling him.

“Were they… were they dreams?” Namjoon asks, trying to ignore the fact that the school could have forcibly locked someone up. “Why?”

“I don’t know,” Taekwoon says. “I thought you knew.” Namjoon shakes his head. “Someone,” Taekwoon continues. “Will find him and Ryeowook can’t see who it’ll be.”

“Whoever it might be,” Namjoon says after a short while of thinking. “Needs to be careful, no one knows what this school is capable of.” Both boys nod, gravely. Taekwoon makes a mental note to tell that to Hakyeon, once he wakes up, of course. As Namjoon leaves, Taekwoon couldn’t seem to shake the feeling that whoever is being looked for is familiar to all of them. In fact, he can’t seem to shake the feeling that whoever will find him is very close to him.

Almost as if he’s just walked through the doors a month ago.

* * *

 

**_Student Profile_ **

**_Name: Kim Wonshik (_ ** **_김원식_ ** **_)_ **

**_Age: 14/15_ **

**_Gender: Male_ **

**_Alice: Shadow Manipulation (Slightly less common, used as a pranking machine)_ **

**_Classification: Dangerous (Dangerous personality)_ **

**_Special Notes:_ **

  * **_He is unable to control his temper when certain people are harmed. We were forced to place him in the dangerous category for his own good._**
  * **_The boy is curious and creative, but that can lead to severe consequences if he is not careful… we will keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn’t get into trouble._**
  * **_Keep away from… the bottom half of the file is burned, making it impossible to read or make the words out. It’s as if someone broke into the records and burned a bit of it away._**



 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> This is technically my first time posting and I hope you like it. I do apologize for any characterization issues cause some of the characters I don't actually know very well; so they're based on how I see them. 
> 
> Note: The author does not own anything of this work besides the words written. Characters and ideas were used, but those characters and ideas belong to the original content creator. VIXX belongs to VIXX and ideas belong to the original author. Any description of a real-life event is purely coincidental


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